phillips'. >>> does barack obama now have a mandate? >> i don't think so because they also re-elected the house republicans. whether people intended or not, we've got divided government. >> you don't think there's a mandate here? >> i don't. because then they would have put nancy pelosi in charge of the house of representatives. see, i think these ideas that we talked about, i think they're popular ideas. this is a very close election. >> despite a scoreboard of 332 to 206, congressman paul ryan refuses to admit that president obama might have a mandate to push his agenda, a big part of which includes raising taxes on high earners. this week the president is holding court with ally and opponents to discuss the upcoming fiscal cliff. yesterday, at a meeting with progressive leaders the president said he would not give in to republican demands to extend all of the bush tax cuts. today he will meet with business leaders. the discussions underscore the president's opposing constituencies, but according to new york magazine's jonathan chaits